In the electrical field, especially in telephone communication, it is frequently desirable to clamp a plurality of cables in fixed disposition with respect to each other and to couple simultaneously the encircling conductive shield of these cables to a common electrical ground. Such cables usually comprise a bundle of individual insulated wire conductors that are encased within an outer insulative covering extruded about a braided or tubular metallic sheath, preferably copper, which acts as an electrical shield for transmissions through the wire conductors themselves. The cables per se are of various diameters depending upon the number and gauge of the individual wire conductors and it may be necessary to clamp two or more cables of unequal diameter in spaced configuration with each other at the same time. However, in the instance of the encapsulating shield type of cables especially, it is important that all of the cables being gripped within the cable clamp be retained with relatively uniform pressure within the clamp jaws regardless of the cable diameter without pinching or overclamping, either of which could fracture any of the individual elements or cause shorting of the inner wire conductors themselves or the electrical shield enclosing them.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a cable clamp for retaining at least two cables of unequal diameter in spaced fixed disposition with respect to each other.
Another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp having a plurality of jaws of equal size which can clamp with uniform pressure without overclamping or pinching a plurality of cables of unequal diameter.
Another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp having a plurality of dual jaw elements which are adapted to be stacked together, as desired, to accommodate cables of different diameters at the various levels or at the same interface.
Another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp for gripping a plurality of cables in fixed disposition while acting as a mechanical strain relief for the individual wire elements within the cable jacket.
Other objects of this invention are to provide an improved device of the character described, which is easily and economically produced, sturdy in construction, and highly efficient and effective in operation.